MANCHESTER United didn’t set the League alight last season, but they did beat their next opponents, Leicester City, home and away. The Foxes have a decent squad, better even than the one which won the title and their fans are confident. They’re third in the league with two wins and two draws. Brendan Rogers, a man long mocked by Manchester United fans for his self-aggrandising at title-free Liverpool, is thriving.
Aided by the mixed early form of United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs, Leicester fans are pretty sure that they can do much better than last term’s ninth place, 14 points behind United. As one of those who will be in the away end at Old Trafford for the game told me: “It’s probably the first time I’ve not been too concerned going to Old Trafford. Means sod all, of course, but we’re not a team that looks to soak up and spring the counter any more.”
Early season games against Leicester have seemed key in recent seasons. A win at the start of last season settled nerves, a 3-5 defeat five years ago frightened the life out of Louis van Gaal’s ideas. A 4-1 win in September 2016 appeared significant as it was the first time Wayne Rooney was properly dropped after poor form.
Roooney he he he he he he ! ! !
Listen to what Rooney said after being dropped by Mourinho in 4-1 WIN against Leicester City LOL ! #MUFC pic.twitter.com/b6rBT4OODM— Sir John (@MKJohn254) September 26, 2016
For United, a win is vital after only one victory in the first four league games, yet it will be doubly hard because United have serious injuries.
Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial won’t be fit to play, though Solskjaer hopes both will be back for West Ham away next week. Aaron Wan Bissaka and Jesse Lingard are doubts, not that most United fans would have the latter in their starting XI right now. Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Eric Bailly are already out.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wasn’t wrong when he said: “We have to play well to get three points.” That’s where both clubs are right now and as United’s manager acknowledged before the game: “They want to push into the top four, they have good players and a very good manager. Brendan’s teams play good football.”
Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjær: 'Leicester, it’s always a tough game … They’ve got good players, a very good manager. A proven, top manager. Brendan’s teams always play good football and we know we’ve got to play well to deserve points' pic.twitter.com/fehaklMcEw
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) September 13, 2019
The Leicesters and the Wolves and the Evertons are genuine challengers to United. Leicester may not have won at Old Trafford since 1998, but they’re established and not undergoing (another) transition as United are. They may have lost Harry Maguire, thus strengthening a rival in the process, but they got a world record fee – albeit for selling a defender they didn’t need to sell as they’re wealthy from their Premier League millions. But Maguire wasn’t seen as irreplaceable by Leicester fans and knowing that he’d leave, Leicester signed Turkish international centre-half Çağlar Söyüncü. He’s been exceptional so far.
Striker James Maddison, 22, and yet another product of Coventry City’s youth system is a talent who United like – as do other clubs bigger than Leicester.
“Very talented, but needs to find a bit more consistency, and sometimes he should play a simple ball instead of a flashy flick,” is the opinion of Gary Silke, editor of The Fox fanzine. “We have a raft of young players who all look very promising. Harvey Barnes and Hamza Choudhury have broken into the first team and caused Rodgers a few selection headaches. Jonny Evans took a while to get into gear last season, but is now doing a fantastic job at the back.”
Ah, Jonny Evans, that lifelong Manchester United, another talent prematurely sold in the great purge by Louis van Gaal, a move backed knee-jerk online United fans because Evans had a poor season before he left. Evans was in his prime at 27 and left for just £6 million and was players’ player of the season in his first year at The Hawthorns.
Nemanja Matic:
"I've been in football for a long time, I've played at almost every game for every club in the last 10 years. For me to play, someone has to sit on the bench and accept it, and it's my turn today."#MUFC pic.twitter.com/dPMMt6EGGR— Manchester United (@ManUnited_ENG_) September 4, 2019
A very young United side could take the pitch, but as Solskjaer pointed out, he could also bring in the experience of Nemanja Matic – who feels he has a point to prove after losing his place, Ashley Young and Juan Mata, who played well like his team in the first half at Southampton. Playing well for half a game has not been enough to get United the wins they feel they’ve deserved. Action will speak louder than any words in the second successive home game with a 3 pm kick-off.
Leicester’s a pain to get to and from Manchester, but many players have moved between the clubs. Earlier on this decade, three Manchester-based Leicester players bought a van and had it done up, with a bed installed in the back for their near-daily drives to Leicester: Richard Wellens, Kasper Schmeichel and Ben Marshall. Danny Drinkwater, Danny Simpson and Richie de Laet played for United and Leicester.
But arguably the most significant man to represent both was manager Frank O’Farrell. He came to Old Trafford in 1971 as United chopped and changed managers after Sir Matt Busby had been in charge for so long. United had replaced Busby with Wilf McGuiness, who was the same age as some of the players. McGuinness was in charge for 87 games of a declining team before losing his job in December 1970. Two and a half years after winning the European Cup, United were 18th in the table, with five wins from 22 league games.
Busby took back over for 21 games before O’Farrell arrived with a polished reputation from Leicester. O’Farrell, who is still alive at 91, lasted 81 games. The cerebral Cork man felt undermined by former boss Busby and he became yet another United manager to lose his job in December. United were 21st in the table, with five wins from 22 league games.
Mourinho was sacked in December too, when his team sat sixth, 19 points behind Liverpool. There’s an acceptance of what his replacement is trying to do, patience, even, acknowledging that it’s going to take time as United sign more Maguires, James' and Bissakas and fewer Sanchezs, Schneiderlins and Schweinsteigers, but while his focus is building for the long term, Solskjaer’s team have to get results in the short term, starting this Saturday.
